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Alex Cantatore

@quickactcasual

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1782

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Filmmaker. Friend.

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Hey friends! I live in New York now, and I’m looking for projects. Here is a new reel I made with some of my proudest work from the last 8 years as a freelance director, cinematographer and editor.

The films and videos included here have taken me all over the world and taught me a lot. Here are a few things I learned:

- I love people. People are people wherever you go, and we all want to be heard and loved. If we listen to each other, we all do better.
- A truly good story must be told through a truly good process. One that is kind, and places people and relationships before outcomes. (Thing is, it actually makes the work a lot better, too.)
- Collaboration heals. When we value each other for our differences, bring our unique talents to the table and invite others to do the same, then we can really know each other, and we learn to see each other in ourselves. And when we get there… what we can create is only limited by our imagination.

So hey, if that all sounds fun to you, please say hi! I’m looking for both doc and narrative projects, and planning to spend this next year expanding into more commercial and branded work. Let’s tell stories to help ourselves and others laugh, cry, scream, dance and love, so we can all come a little bit closer together.

You can take a look at my full portfolio at my new website alexcantatore.com (link in bio).

Also want to shout out a few fellow artists whose work is also featured here and who have been incredible supporters along my journey. You can’t do it without a crew. Thank you ❤️

@nathaneric.media
@skylerdavislee
@seanncantatore
@angellyneenja
@shayduhg
@vilihereniko
@threemusketeersfilms by @quickactcasual

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a year ago

As we wrap up our @niuforeverfilm fundraiser today we are humbled and full of gratitude for the message you have sent us that you believe in this story, this mo‘olelo, and you want us to tell it. Thank you for making it possible. We take on this responsibility with great joy and love in our hearts. It is an honor to share purpose with @niu.now

Mahalo for taking this journey with us.

We can do this, together. taken in O'ahu, Hawaii by @quickactcasual

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3 years ago

Kupu ka niu, kupu ke kanaka!
When coconuts grow, humanity flourishes!

Come to a Niu Now volunteer workday and you will hear this a lot! It comes from He Pule Niu - a coconut prayer - published in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, October 15th, 1897 by Nathaniel B. Emerson (Papakilo Database). The Niu Now movement is dedicated to reclaiming and preserving the relationship with the kumu niu, the coconut tree. This tree is considered the "Tree of Life" among Indigenous Hawaiians and throughout the Pacific. Food sovereignty, soil regeneration and ecological conservation through niu cultivation goes hand and hand with revitalization of Hawaiian culture.

We're humbled to tell this story through the words and experiences of those who are leading this movement and there is still more to tell.

If you want to support our film and help this story get told on PBS, make a pledge on our campaign page. Link is in our bio. Or visit www.niuforeverfilm.com

We can only reach our fundraising goal if people like you can help us spread the word. Please share this post and invite your friends to follow our page.

With Aloha,
The Niu Forever Team by @quickactcasual

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3 years ago

@hawasian_ Jesse talks about why it’s so important to create sustainable local food systems in Hawai‘i - and the niu is a big part of that!

Tickets on sale now for the premiere of the new cut of @niuforeverfilm at @hiffhawaii

WORLD PREMIERE - 10/28 - 8:15pm @consolidatedhi Kahala - link in bio

#niu #coconut #foodsystems #hawaii #waianae taken in Waianae, Hawaii by @quickactcasual

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7 days ago

“it suddenly becomes clear that a basic need is joy, belonging and laughter”

Our compass is oriented in the direction of joy. Each moment in our classroom is an opportunity arrive and play in that space.

Thank you @lindsey.seegers helped lay the groundwork and encouraged us in her former roll as Executive Director at @voicesofourcitychoir and is now lifting up many more in her new role at @sdcyballet

You can create more access to joy, belonging and laughter by
- Hiring us for your team’s professional development
- Sponsoring a single class or course
- Donating
- Liking this post

Partnership ❤️: @voicesofourcitychoir
Media 🎥: @quickactcasual

#itsimprov #healingthroughimprov #improvforchange #improvforeveryone #improvisationwithpurpose taken in Voices of Our City Choir by @quickactcasual

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10 days ago

A little bonus scene with @jahnnaloha talking about mālama ‘āina while working at the UH West O‘ahu uluniu.

@niuforeverfilm is just one small part of the larger story of the niu movement have, and we have so much more recorded reflection and wisdom than could fit in a one hour doc!

As we lead up to our premiere at @hiffhawaii on 10/28, we’ll continue to share bonus clips from our archives. Ticket link in our bio if you can join us.

Mahalo

#niu #malamaaina #coconut #hawaii #hiff taken in University of Hawaii - West Oahu by @quickactcasual

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13 days ago

Tickets are on sale! Come out and celebrate the niu with us during @hiffhawaii this month and next. We have THREE screenings lined up - 2 in Honolulu and 1 in Kapolei, where this whole thing began!

Link in bio for tickets. Filmmakers and Niu Now will be in attendance at all screenings, with Q&A on 10/28 and 11/4, but we’ll hang to talk story at all of em :)

We hope to see you there!

#niu #coconut #hiff #niuforever #hawaii taken in O'ahu, Hawaii by @quickactcasual

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17 days ago

We’re incredibly excited to announce improv to impact!

The idea is simple: organizations can now bring applied improv training into their professional development to help sustainably fund free research-backed improv classes for San Diegans who are unsheltered or housing-insecure, immigrants, refugees, or members of other historically underserved communities.

We are making quality improv training more accessible than it has ever been.

Improv started in the community. The first classes were not designed to be ‘funny’ or ‘make an audience laugh,’ they were designed to create a space where people can practice communication, collaboration, adaptability, listening, creativity, navigating uncertainty and so much more.. And it’s no secret that joy is one of the biggest side effects.

Most of us rarely get an opportunity to deliberately practice these skills until we’re in a real situation where the consequences matter.

“I feel more free, confident and able to speak up for myself” “I feel less socially awkward and more connected to my people” “I don’t have any other place where I can fully express myself like I do in improv” “ I feel more like myself.” These can be pivotal experiences in anyone’s life.

The mission of improv to impact isn’t separate from it’s improv’s mission - it helps sustain it.

improv to impact is for companies, nonprofits, colleges and universities, healthcare orgs, government agencies, community orgs, leadership teams, boards, etc. Hire us for retreats, professional development, leadership transitions, team building, conferences, etc.

Please
Visit the new improv to impact website
Share it with an organization could benefit or introduce us
Schedule a consultation
Help spread the word

Thank you to @voicesofourcitychoir and @youthassistancecoalitionsd for making us a staple in your communities. We’re proud to be partnered with you.

A huge thank you to @quickactcasual & @missionframe.media for helping us tell the story of it’s improv so beautifully. They took the time to understand what we do and why we do it. They captured the people, joy, connection, and impact at the heart of this work.
#SocialI taken in San Diego, California by @quickactcasual

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19 days ago

We are so STOKED to announce that Niu Forever will make its world public premiere at @hiffhawaii next month!

SCREENING Dates/Times are:

10/28 @ 8:15pm - Consolidated Kahala
10/30 @ 2:00pm - Consolidated Kahala
11/4 @ 6:00pm - Consolidated Kapolei

TICKET LINK in bio. Tickets go on sale Sept. 18th for HIFF members and Sept. 22 for the general public. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey, now over 5 years in the making. It has always been a collective effort and we are grateful to be learning and growing with you. We’re so excited to share the culmination of all your energy with Hawai‘i.

More news and many more mahalos to come.

#hiffhawaii #hiff46 #niu #niuforever coconut taken in Honolulu, Hawaii by @quickactcasual

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a month ago

“It takes time. But just be steady at something, and offer that into the world. That’s what Niu Now, our coconut movement, humbly, is trying to do. It’s trying to create a world awakening, through the service of others. And the love of land.”

- Aunty Manu Aluli Meyer

This niu was one of the original 10 planted to establish a new uluniu at UH West O‘ahu in 2021. Watching it fall to CRB weighs heavy, but the response of @niu.now and the coconut movement is to plant: again and again and again.

The keiki planted in this video is of the same variety of the fallen tree, and continues its lineage.

#niu #coconut #plant taken in University of Hawaii - West Oahu by @quickactcasual

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7 months ago

What a day. What a gathering. What a reminder of who we are. Mahalo nū nui ✨

The Niu Festival – Ho‘opono Event in Hilo was filled with hands in the leaves, laughter in the street, and ʻike being shared across generations.

So many arrived curious… and left having woven their own pāpale, created baskets, learned to grate niu, engaged in keiki activities, shared meals, and even took home plants to continue growing food and mauli in their own spaces.

This is what mutual emergence looks like. Community showing up. Practitioners teaching. Keiki learning. Kūpuna guiding.

Mahalo nui to our partners, collaborators, vendors, cultural practitioners, and every single person who stood with us on Haili Street. You made this more than an event; you made it a living practice.

We carry this forward together.

@kandu_macarons_n_things_ @noaneikulolo @pacificmixcatering @kapa_radio @mala.laau.hawaii @kokuaharvest @bigislandinvasivespecies @dabpioinfo @downtownhilohi @pohaku_pelemaka @tuki.drake @auliimitchell
#NiuFestival
#Hoopono
#HuiʻOihana
#HiloHawaiʻi
#LāhuiRising by @quickactcasual

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8 months ago

Wide angles of a winter photo walk with @megan.lc.mcnally taken in New York City by @quickactcasual

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9 months ago